FIELD NOTES FOR FEBRUARY

Shannon News, 1 February 1927, Page 1

FIELD NOTES FOR FEBRUARY

(By W. J. McCulloch, Instructor in Agriculture, Palmerston North.)

The month qt February is usually associated with the di'iest period of the year, and the consequent suspension of grass growths which is too often reflected in the production of the dairy herd where supplementary fodders are either lacking or not provided in sufficient quantity, or on the other hand, adequate provision may not have been taken advantage of soon enough with .the result -that the fall in yield is later on hard to arrest, In many districts supplementary feeding should commence early in January, and for this purpose the aftermath of an early hayed paddock is a good asset. Early sown soft tur- , nips are valuable^ to.hold up the milk yield provided they are fed correctly/ and sufficient of one or other of the the common fodders should be available to follow on until the maize is ready. If the best results are* to be expected from maize the herd should have access to grazing where the clovers are reasonably abundant, or it should be supplemented with lucerne or other leguminous fodder. Those who are in the habit of growing a’/proportion of tares or peas in' conjunction with mpize realise the value of such a balanced food better production. , * Harvest. Harvesting of both cereals and hay should be practically over, and as soon-ss; the stacks have settled down, which will probably take about three weeks, provision should be made to carefully thatch and securely fence or secure the magainst stock. ; Catch Crops. Stubble land should be' taken In hand as early as possible and sown'm suitable catch crops. Where conditions permit ploughing is inadvisable and unnecessary, the disc s and harrows being best for working up a good bed. Quick growing variations of soft tux-nips are often successful, or cereals for grazing such as Algerian oats or black skinless barley with or without tares will afford quick food and should give sevei-al feedings before Spring. Sow 3 bushels cereals or 2 bushels cereals and 1 bushel tares with a quick phosphate. Root Crops. The intercultivation of root crops should be continued unless the crop is too far ifr-fo' fhfpps- a sible to get through with the cultivatoi\ An extra cultivation often means all the difference between a light yield and a heavy crop. Potatoes. At the end of this month*' and through March and April main crops of potatoes will be lifted. Maturity is indicated generally by the tops dying away, except in the case of blight, but the best indication is when the skin adheres firmly to the tuber when handled. Seed should be dug before maturity if possible. Autumn Sowing Lucerne. If conditions are suitable areas intended for sowing in lucerne should be kept well stirred meantime ro germina.ee ■ weed seeds and hill troublessome- grasses, etc. It is often contended by some that where there is danger of too much competition from weeds that Autumn sowing is an advantage. This may be correct to some extent in the first few weeks of the plants existence, and possibly it is in a more advanced and stronger condition eafly the following Spring, enabling it # to compete to better advantage for a time against grasses and weeds, but the fact remains that it is courting failure x to sow lucei-ne in dirty land at any time. Autumn Sowing Grass.

Probably no other operation on the farm demands greater care and skill than the sowing down of permanent pastures. The cultivation and clean.ing of the land; the purchase of good, viable,' clean seed; the current proportions of suitable varieties of suitable varieties of grasses and clovers adapted to the soil and climate and manuring, are all equally impoi-tant factors controlling the ultimate success or otherwise of tho establishment of permanent pasture.

March i s generally considered the best month for Autumn sowing of pasture, but there still appears to be a great diversity of opinion regarding the relative merits of Autumn versus Spring sowing. Prom observation one might say that much depends on the soil type and climate, and in some cases it is noticed that a poor Autumn take is often the direct result of too late sowing, or that the particular land may lie too wet and cold during winter, hence the plants are stunted, and the spaces become overrun with water-grass, mostly juncus. In such cases spring sowing might be preferable.